Gleb Savchenko has split from Elena Belle (Picture: Rex)
Gleb Savchenko has split from his girlfriend of just under three years, Elena Belle.
The Strictly Come Dancing star confirmed the relationship ended a month ago but admitted that he still ‘very much loves her’.
‘It kind of just happened. People always say life happens and sometimes I think, “How did it even happen?”,’ he reflected.
The 40-year-old first began dating Elena, real name Natacha Peyre Requena, in August 2021 and has described their time together as ‘amazing’.
‘It’s just the timing.’
He added to Page Six: ‘I had, like, the best time of my life with her. There’s certain things that just didn’t work out.’
Gleb is going to miss Elena (Picture: Elena Belle / Instagram)
Gleb heaped praise on Elena, 39, for being an ‘amazing’ mum to daughter Luna from her previous marriage to late husband Michael Theanne. Gleb has two daughters Olivia and Zlata with former wife, Elena Samodanova.
‘I’m gonna miss her a lot,’ Gleb concluded.
Following the split, Gleb has a big work project to concentrate on – he is joining the Chippendales as a celebrity guest host and dancer.
Being part of the dance troupe for performances in Vegas and Atlantic City felt like a natural move for Gleb. They are synonymous for their striptease performances dressed in a bow tie, collar, and shirt cuffs worn with a bare torso, and Gleb already knows this combination is a winner for him: ‘Everyone knows I’m a great dancer … but the moment my shirt comes off, the crowd goes wild!’
Anita and Gleb danced together in 2015 (Picture: MCPIX/REX/Shutterstock)
Strictly fans will remember the Russian native’s skills from his time on the BBC juggernaut with the Countryfile presenter, Anita Rani in 2015.
Although, he only appeared in one series, his time on the show has a lasting legacy. Anita and Gleb’s Samba to Shakira song Hips Don’t Lie is the third most popular couple routine on the show’s YouTube channel, with 5.6 million views. They reached the semi-finals, but it was Wanted singer Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani who won.
Anita has previously questioned if she would have got further in the competition if she was white.
Anita wonders if she could have got further in the competition (Picture: BBC)
‘I still find myself wondering whether I would have got into the final if I didn’t have a brown face,’ she told Radio Times.
‘There are various points in my career where I wonder what would have happened if I was blonde-haired and blue-eyed, and sometimes I don’t think things would have played out the same way if I was white.’
Mel C was partnered with Gleb on Dancing with the Stars (Picture: ABC)
The UK couldn’t keep Gleb for long, as he returned to the States in 2016 to take up a position on the US version of the show, Dancing with the Stars for the second time – he’d previously participated in the 2013 series with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump.
Since his return, some of his partners have included The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, Pretty Little Liars actress Sasha Pieterse, Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause, and Spice Girls singer Melanie C.
Most recently, he finished in fourth place with drag queen Shangela.
Gleb, who also competed in Australian and Russian versions of Dancing with the Stars, still thinks he has at least three seasons in him and wants to achieve his ultimate goal of winning.
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